Typically, a headset for audio communication comprises at least an earpiece and a microphone, with the microphone often attached to a boom extending from the earpiece. Such a boom arrangement allows the microphone to be located towards a user's mouth, thereby allowing for clearer reception of the user's voice. The boom also provides holds then the speaker away from the microphone to reduce the likelihood of feedback problems. Such headsets may commonly be used with telephone systems, either mobile or fixed, for dictation or in other applications where hands-free operation is advantageous.
GB2294177 discloses a typical headset having a housing that extends over a user's head, the headset having a boom extending in front of a user's mouth. The headset may be connected by wire to a telephone.
More compact headsets are also possible, in which the earpiece can be hooked around or located within a user's ear, rather than by use of a housing extending over a user's head. Such headsets may also incorporate a microphone boom, which can take various forms. The boom may be flexible, and form part of a deformable loop for an adjustable fit around a user's ear, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,396,935. To allow for a more compact form when not in use, the boom may be telescopic, being extendable from the earpiece in one or more sections, as for example disclosed in GB2317301. The boom may alternatively be pivoted, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,076,277. Activation or extension of the boom may trigger activation of the headset apparatus, for example when receiving or making a telephone call. The headset may be activatable also from a mobile terminal that is in connection with the headset.
Such headsets may be connected by wire or by wireless communication with a telephone or other communication or recording apparatus. An example of a known means of wireless communication commonly used with headsets for portable radio telephone applications is that according to Bluetooth™ protocols. An earpiece may comprise a Bluetooth™ module, which allows for two-way wireless communication with a corresponding module in a separate apparatus such as a portable telephone.
A problem with previous solutions is that the microphone boom may occupy a substantial part of the earpiece when not in use. Furthermore, extension of, say, a sliding boom does not allow for a large increase in length, since the maximum length increase is dictated by the retracted length. Using a telescopic boom, as in GB2317301, allows for a more compact retracted state but with an increase in mechanical complexity, together with a difficulty with electrically connecting the microphone to the earpiece in the extended state.
The listing or discussion of a prior-published document in this specification should not necessarily be taken as an acknowledgement that the document is part of the state of the art or is common general knowledge.